[Jeff Kay]

F9 and F10 are by default bound inside of AE. If you have not already, try removing those keybinds (keybinds shortcut ctrl+alt+’). Also make sure that your keyrebinding software is set to work when AE has focus, I know that at least autohotkey has the option for it to be enabled or not (or have multiple profiles) depending on which window is in focus.

I use a trackball for ergonomic issues and so far that has worked out well for me (since itself, it is treated as a mouse). Though this is not a solution to your issue.

[Jeff Kay]

There is a whole mess of incorrect syntax in this. (What does the error message say?)

The If/Else you are telling it just numbers and it doesn’t know what to do with this and will always return an error. Typically something like
if (*expression link*)
{
v=1080;
}
else
{
v=0;
}

value() is not a argument, inside of AE value [with no parenthesis] will return the keyframed value of the property before any expression has been applied. Value is automatically the same array as the property itself.

If you want to use a variable (I assume you want to use v), it has to be defined and have a value.

I don’t know of what Size is a property, but it is an array of 2 and I think that expression is going to return an array of 1.

Try this

if (*expression link*)
{
var=1080;
}
else
{
var=0;
}
[10,var];


I don’t know what that expression links to, but if that value is > 0 this will return [10,1080] and if that value is <=0 then it will return [10,0]

[Jeff Kay]

I have noticed a whole lot of rather odd issues with AI files in AE. As a result I end up either moving the vector information out of the AI file (into something that can hold paths like a shape layer), or I end up opening it in Illustrator to export a PNG (sized such that I don’t have to scale it much, if at all); depends on whether I need the image or I need the vector information.

As to what’s causing it, I have no clue. Here are a list of things I’ve seen that have caused issue with AI files in AE.
-Scaling the file up too much
-Scaling the file down too much
-Gradients in the file
-Unoptimized file (any mess of too many superfluous paths, too many points in paths, extra layers that are not visible, incomplete paths, needless nesting of groups)
-AI files with links inside of them
-Fills that overlap
-Precomping anything with AI files
-Multiple artboards
-You are close to a deadline

Try the puppet tool with raster images, shape layers, and video. The puppet tool is more resource intensive than most simple effects, but it hasn’t seemed to be a resource hog the way 3D lighting, particle generators, or any of the other big resource intensive effects.

[Jeff Kay]

I’ve seen this before with certain video files (and this behavior persists through multiple softwares not just AE). I have not found a workaround for this other than transcoding (which is almost always a good idea). From what I have seen pewviously it has to do with some uncommon settings in the H.264 render itself and a re-render in H.264 will usually fix it (but this will be a second lossy encode, if you are transcoding just use an intermediary codec).

Where and how was the source file generated?

[Jeff Kay]

I would also agree that using Premiere (or Audition) would be a much better way to handle audio as AE itself isn’t designed for audio. And using ffmpeg command line commands will let you change out the audio while straight copying the video, though there should be render options from Premiere that should do the same.

Is the file that you rendered in a MOV wrapper? If so, this might be the never resolved gamma issue showing up again (do the scopes for those two video files show the same pedestal and gain?).

[Jeff Kay]

If you are rasterizing the AI files it might be worthwhile to instead export those as raster rather than using the AI files directly. Also, how much are those files scaled?

If it doesn’t affect the final product, try converting the AI file to a shape layer (shape layers can only hold paths/fills/stroke and no gradients).

There is a possibility that the AI files themselves are not very well optimized and contain far more information than is necessary and directly trimming down superfluous information in the AI files themselves could improve performance. I guess also try turning off individual AI files and see if it will preview with about half of the AI files active, or if there is one particular AI file that is causing the difficulties.

[Jeff Kay]

There is not a direct prerender option in AE like in most NLEs.

To ram preview (it renders to the ram memory and holds it there until something else needs the ram space) default key is zero on the numberpad. Spacebar does something different and doesn’t work well for previewing.

To properly prerender, export the element/layer/composition in question (If your drives can handle the size and read/write for uncompressed AVI that seems to work the fastest inside of AE, otherwise ProRes usually works well as an intermediary, I’ve had a decent amount of luck even with H.264 as a prerender, you will ultimately have to find the intermediary that works best for your system and workflow).
Once that export is complete, bring it into AE and replace the element/layer/composition with the prerender (select the element/layer/comp in your Timeline window, click and drag the prerender from the project window, position the cursor over the selected element to be replaced, hold alt (the arrow icon should change), release click).

Prerender is used differently in AE from NLEs. Most typically when one would prerender in an NLE they would ram preview in AE. Prerender in AE is used to reduce render times (both final and for working in a project).

[Jeff Kay]

What Dave is getting at is that there are a lot of effects that only work on 2D layers and will effectively do nothing if the layer is converted to 3D.

Most effects that directly affect pixels will no longer work. This doesn’t just apply to effects, this also affects blend modes and other things.

What you can do is put effects on 2D adjustment layers or precomp all of the 3D elements and then add effects to the [now 2D] precomp element.

[Jeff Kay]

If you are trying to match the distortions created by light bouncing off of non-still water, then that is not going to be easy.

What would be easy is to get rid of all of the original reflection and then artificially create the entire water reflection. A reflection replacement just like a sky replacement.

[Jeff Kay]

Looks like they have a Leightronix E-HD2 video unit and instead of giving you formats it supports for playback, they are giving you the standard it uses when it internally records.
https://www.leightronix.com/assets/leightronix_manual_ehd2.pdf

My guess is they copy/pasted an email they got from leightronix tech support and that leightronix support either misunderstood and repeated the recording standard, or for easing support burden on a discontinued product, only officially supports that one standard [that most users won’t be able to create]. Unit has H.264 decoder, so dollars to donuts it’ll play standard h.264 mp4.

The answer that always works when someone asks for an odd codec/wrapper combination is to command line rewrap. This will let you put any codec in any wrapper regardless of compatibility or useability.

Going straight out of Adobe there is this
https://www.bearpig.co.uk/blog/2010/11/ts-mts-m2t-exporting-in-adobe-media-encoder/
(note: I am familiar and use brightsign players, which was the author’s original reason for needing the m2t file format, and they will play a standard H.264 mp4 just fine.)

Alternatively push the video out normally, run it through VLC to convert to a mpeg transport stream (make sure source video/audio), then rename the .ts file to .m2s.

You need to decide if going through this is going to be worth your time and if so, be prepared for whatever you give them to not play, you have to find a way to make it play, and the whole time they’ll think you screwed up.